In early 2016, producer Sebastian Bear-McClard reached out to a 17-year-old girl on Instagram — an overture that led to an informal meeting in a Soho loft. Not long after, he let the Safdie brothers know he’d found the perfect person to play a small role in their upcoming movie, Good Time. The girl, who came from a humble background in New York, was excited to meet the film’s star, Robert Pattinson, who was popular with teenagers around the world at the time thanks to the ‘Twilight’ franchise. On the day of shooting, she waited all day on the New York set for her scene to be called, not knowing what that meant. As she made her way into a cramped space, she was naked and standing in front of nearly a dozen male cast and crew members, including Josh and Benny Safdie. Instead of appearing in a scene with Pattinson, she was paired with an actor who had recently been released from prison before being cast in the film.
According to a statement by the young woman obtained from diversityShe “was completely stunned and scared. My distress only worsened when I came out of nowhere [an actor] whispered in my ear if he could pocket it while the cameras rolled. I said ‘no’.” The 24-year-old woman’s testimony came in connection with a Bear-McClard lawsuit. The producer is currently embroiled in a contentious divorce and custody battle with actress and model Emily Ratajkowski, as well as a private mediation with the Safdie brothers, who fired him from their joint production company, Elara Pictures, last summer. The statement was one of three statements by women following Bear-McClard and Ratajkowski’s publicly split last summer and portrays the producer as a predator who often preyed on young women on set. (The ‘Gone Girl’ actor filed for divorce from Bear-McClard in Manhattan Supreme court, citing an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.)
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diversity also spoke to more than a dozen sources familiar with Bear-McClard’s behavior, including two who were in the room when the 17-year-old girl filmed the disturbing “Good Time” scene. Not long after production ended, she began having sex with Bear-McClard, even though she was 17. They had a consensual romantic relationship for more than two years. (The age of consent in New York is 17.)
Bear-McClard, although a spokesman, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the Safdies says: “The Elara team was made aware of Sebastian McClard’s behavior in July 2022. They acted immediately and fired him.”
The statements — made in August — also relate to Bear-McClard’s behavior on the set of the Adam Sandler drama Uncut Gems. A then 18-year-old woman says she met a then-married Bear-McClard during production and he began “grooming” her on Instagram, citing his position in the film industry to make her big career promises. In her statement, also received from diversityShe described an incident that took place in the apartment Bear-McClard shared with Ratajkowski. “Sebastian and I started kissing. Things escalated and then, without asking my consent, Sebastian pushed himself inside me without using a condom.”
The woman described other disruptive behaviors, including Bear-McClard calling her derogatory words like “retarded” and “kike,” though he backed down and framed that language as a joke. According to her statement, he also started following her through an app on her phone. The woman also alleges that Bear-McClard began sending messages on Instagram to a 15-year-old girl who was not part of the production but visited the set. When confronted with this, “Sebastian looked pleased with himself and laughed at my comment. He has not denied my allegations,” the woman said in the statement. Several sources say diversity that Bear-McClard’s association with the 15-year-old, as well as his love affair with another young woman on the Uncut Gems set – an assistant with ties to the film industry – led to the Safdies firing him. (The Safdies also directed Uncut Gems.)
A third woman, who has worked on several independent films at the intern and assistant level, commented diversity that does not cover sexual misconduct in the workplace but alleges that Bear-McClard was involved in disturbing behavior.
Ratajkowski, 31, declined to comment but friends say she is not surprised by the allegations. She is represented by powerhouse attorneys Brett Ward and Jackie Combs, whose Blank Rome firm previously advised Tom Cruise on his divorce from Katie Holmes and Channing Tatum on his split from Jenna Dewan. Bear-McClard, now 42, works with high-profile attorney Caroline Krauss, who represented Robert De Niro in his 2018 split from Grace Hightower. Ratajkowski and Bear-McClard wed in a New York courthouse in February 2018 after dating for just two weeks. Ratajkowski is fighting for sole custody of her son Sylvester, who was born in March 2021.
Both Good Time and Uncut Gems were released by A24, the New York indie newcomer behind Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once and Moonlight. The allegations raise serious questions about why a 17-year-old girl, who didn’t have an agent at the time, filmed nude scenes on the set of a movie. There is no ironclad rule prohibiting underage nudity, but there is a general requirement from the Screen Actors Guild that conditions of employment must not be “prejudicial to the health, morals and safety of minors”.
“It sounds like they bypassed the entire safety structure of our industry by hiring someone on Instagram who wasn’t a union member and didn’t know their rights,” says Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParentz, an advocacy group for child performers. “Usually minors have to have their contracts confirmed by a court, and there are many other hurdles to casting a minor. That’s not normal. Everything about this situation is wrong.”
Bear-McClard has produced the three most recent films by the Safdie brothers – a filmmaking duo acclaimed for their offbeat verité style and use of non-actors and professionals alike. The trio co-founded the production company Elara in 2014. One of her most notable projects, the crime thriller Good Time, made a smashing debut at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or.
Pattinson was not on set on the day of the problematic “Good Time” scene, which does not appear in the final version of the film. The cast member’s name appears in the credits. According to her statement, Bear-McClard did not discuss any payment associated with the role and only bought cigarettes after the shoot. The woman receives no residuals from A24 for her role. A knowledgeable source tells diversity that the scene was used in promotional material presented to shoppers at the 2016 Cannes market. A24 bought the film from this material. A source close to the Safdies, who is familiar with their editing process, says the scene never got the final cut for creative reasons.
The women’s claims surrounding the sets of ‘Good Time’ and ‘Uncut Gems’ cast an uncomfortable spotlight on A24, which is still celebrating its huge Oscars this month. The company signed the Safdies and Bear-McClard’s Elara to a first-look deal in 2020, well after allegations among insiders connected to the films became a hot topic.
A24 declined to comment.
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